Fall programs return to Strathmore library

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

As students head back to school next week, the Strathmore Municipal Library is also celebrating the season by welcoming back all of its much loved fall programming from last year.
Starting Sept. 10, the library will once again be offering regular programming with the return of Baby Goose Rhyme Times, Crafternoon, Nighttime Tales, Stitch Together, Story Time, Teen Advisory Council, Signing Strathmore and introducing the Busy People Book Club.
“With these programs coming back, we get to see all those wonderful regular faces that we’ve missed over the summer. Working in a library you really connect with your customers,” said Carmen Erison, assistant director of library services with the Strathmore Municipal Library. “So that’s what I love about these programs: being able to see those enthusiastic young eyes and young minds and just seeing them grow for another year.”
Back by popular demand is the Crafternoon program which has experienced a steady surge in participation for the past five years. While coordinators are currently working on program details, crafts will be geared towards a skill level for Grades 1-6; younger children will need a parent or guardian in attendance.
Baby Goose Rhyme Time will also be back on Mondays to connect parents and caregivers by bringing their newborns to 18 months old and toddlers to attend a free drop-in education experience, with a lot of toys, songs and games.
Stitch Together is also back for needle art enthusiasts that love to knit, crochet, embroider or cross-stitch.
In keeping with the theme of going back to school, the Teen Advisory Council is looking for teens to get involved. The council is designed for teenagers in Grades 7-12 who love spending time in the library, are passionate about learning and want to take a leadership role.
“The teens have a really active hands-on approach to the library,” Erison said. “They help us choose the collection, especially in the teen area, and they help us decorate in the teen area. All the while, too, they’re designing programs and having fun in the program themselves. They’ve done candy sushi movie nights, and it’s a really great group to be involved in.”
Miss Hope will be heading the Story Time program – designed for preschool-aged children – where kids, who must be attended by a parent, have an hour filled with stories, songs and crafts focused around educational learning.
In October, the sought-after program, Nighttimes Tales, is a weekly program where children can come in their pajamas with a favourite stuffed animal in tow, and listen quietly to songs and stories.
Signing Strathmore and the Busy People Book Club will also be offered this fall.
“Nighttime Tales was brought in as a suggestion for working parents, because sometimes those working parents want to still spend some time with their children at the library,” said Erison. “Story Time on Thursday is a little bit more upbeat, and rambunctious and active, and Wednesday is a nice day of quiet stories and songs.”
Baby Goose Rhyme Time is a drop-in program running weekly from Sept. 10, 2018 to June 17, 2019 on Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. Crafternoon returns on Mondays from 4 to 5 p.m., starting Sept. 10 and going through to June 17, 2019. Stitch Together is returning on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon year-round, while Story Time starts back up Sept. 13, 2018 and goes to June 21, 2019 on Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Signing Strathmore – a program to help residents learn and practice basic sign language – will be back on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 13, 2018 to June 21, 2019.
Nighttime Tales will run from Oct. 4, 2018 to June 20, 2019 on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Teen Advisory Council will resume in fall of 2018. Those interested can contact Carmen Erison at Carmen@strathmorelibrary.ca.
The online book club, the Busy People Book Club (BPBC), is also currently available through the BPBC Facebook Group.
All programs are free to attend.